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There is nothing like the feeling of freedom of your first dive in warm, clear, tropical water. You swoop effortlessly through the water, not held back by the need to return to the surface. Even your scuba equipment, so heavy and cumbersome on land, loses its weight and doesn't impede your movement. Thousands of iridescent fish fin past and as you look down to the rocks below you see a moray eel, gaping at you from its den. Clown fish nestle in their soft coral homes, parrot fish nip at the harder coral fronds. Bizarrely-shaped box fish seem to peer at you as they float by. Everywhere you look there is another wonder, another beautiful thing to explore, another weird and wonderful creature to follow. |
Who can dive? Just about anyone can become a diver. Scuba diving is an equal opportunity sport open to men, women and children of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, handicap or familial status. However, there are a few limitations on age and health for safety purposes. Here is a quick breakdown of criteria: |
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Age Anyone 15 years old or older can become an Open Water Diver. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 can receive a Junior Open Water Diver certification. At the age of 15 they can upgrade to a regular Open Water Diver certification. There are programs available for younger children that will help prepare them for certification such as the Bubblemakers and Project AWARE. |
Fitness In general, anyone in good average health who meets the age requirement ( 12yo in Qld) can participate. As a safety measure, a routine medical questionnaire must be completed. If anything on the questionnaire indicates a risky condition, you should get a medical checkup to make sure it's acceptable to dive, this is compulsory in Australia. Some conditions to watch out for include but are not limited to neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, metabolic and endocrinological, orthopedic, hematological, pregnancy, behavioral health issues, and ear and sinus problems. |
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Recreational Diving This is the largest group of divers – those who dive for the fun of it. Once you get your certification, you can further your diving education by specializing in a skill. Some specializations include altitude diving, night diving, fish identification, search and recovery, underwater photography or videography, equipment specialist, cavern diving, wreck diving, ice diving, and technical diving specialties. Careers include divemasters and instructors; instructor trainers and examiners; resort, dive center and live-aboard personnel; journalists, photographers and cinematographers; leaders of scuba training and certification agencies; sales and marketing professionals. |
Where do divers dive? Scuba divers dive wherever there is water: oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, quarries, waterways, canals, mines, springs, abandoned oilrigs, and old missile silos. Any time of year is a good time to dive. Just because it is fall or winter, it doesn’t mean you can’t dive. There are many cold water and ice divers out there. You can take specialty courses to prepare you for cold water diving. If you are a warm water fan, take a vacation to a tropical island and enjoy. |
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Why do people scuba dive? People dive for their own personal reasons, which can include an appreciation for the ocean, an interest in marine life, or just for the thrill of the ride. |
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